YouTube DMs: How to message someone on YouTube

Direct messaging (DMs) has returned to YouTube, allowing you to send videos and messages to people you know through the YouTube mobile app. YouTube’s DM feature allows you to send messaging invitations and start one-to-one chat threads, as long as you live in an eligible country or region, are 18 years or older (and verify your age), and have the right account type.

Does YouTube have DMs?

Yes, you can send direct messages on YouTube. While the feature was previously discontinued, private in-app messaging returned in 2026. YouTube DMs are available only on mobile, letting viewers invite others to a private messaging thread built around sharing videos and reacting to them. Strict age requirements mean viewers must verify they are 18 or older to access the feature. Plus, YouTube DMs are only available in certain countries and regions.

To access YouTube DMs, you need to:

• Live in a country or region where video sharing and messaging are available: Currently, only 40 markets have access to YouTube DMs, including the US and the UK, with plans to expand availability over time.
• Meet YouTube’s age requirements: You must be 18 years or older and verify your age.
• Have the right account type: You might be signed into a personal YouTube channel or be a Brand Account owner (channel moderators or delegates are restricted).
• Download the YouTube mobile app: YouTube DMs are currently only available on mobile devices (both Android and iOS); direct messaging is not available on desktop.

The most important thing to remember is that YouTube DMs are invitation-only. You cannot send a message to someone you don’t know. To start a DM thread, generate an invite link in the YouTube app and have your recipient accept the invitation to start a chat.

The main purpose of YouTube DMs is sharing videos and content with people you know. There’s no mass broadcasting functionality or dedicated creator inbox. Instead, YouTube designed the feature to let viewers share and discuss both Shorts and long-form videos directly in the YouTube mobile app.

How to message someone on YouTube

To start messaging on YouTube, you have two options: share content you’re watching or invite others to join a chat. YouTube DMs can only be sent on mobile devices, so make sure you’ve downloaded the YouTube app to get started.

Step one: Send an invitation to start chatting

To share content when watching a video on YouTube:

1. Open the YouTube app on your mobile device.
2. Find the content you want to share (either a Short or long-form video).
3. Tap the Share button.
4. Tap the contact you want to message the video to (if you’ve already started a DM thread), or tap Invite to message on YouTube to send an invite through another app.

To invite others to share content and accept invites:

1. Tap Messages at the top right > Invite to chat.
2. Share the invite link with who you want to invite.
3. The person who gets the message will have the option to Allow or Decline the message.
4. If the message invite is accepted, you can share content and messages with that person directly on YouTube. If you have notifications turned on for YouTube, you’ll get a notification that your invite has been accepted.

YouTube DMs are strictly invite-only. Each time you get an invite from a new channel, you’ll be asked whether to allow messages from them. That means:

• If you tap Allow messaging: You’ll be taken to the conversation to chat.
• If you tap Not Now: Your channel info won’t be shared with the sender. However, you can choose to allow messages from the sender later by replying to shared content from them.

Step two: Send a message on YouTube DMs

With invitations accepted and DM threads set up, it’s time to start chatting. The easiest way to message others on YouTube is to navigate to the Messages inbox on the mobile app.

To send messages on YouTube:

1. Open the YouTube app on your mobile device.
2. Tap Messages at the top right.
3. Tap a conversation to view it or send a message.

If you’ve sent a message by mistake, you can unsend it by:

1. Open the YouTube app on your mobile device.
2. Tap Messages at the top right.
3. Tap on a conversation to view it.
4. Long-press on a message you’d like to unsend.
5. Tap Unsend.
6. Confirm by tapping Unsend again.

Unsent messages will no longer be visible in the chat, but the person you sent them to will still see that a message was removed.

Plus, you can delete an entire conversation by long-pressing on the conversation, tapping Menu, and tapping Delete. Keep in mind that the other channel will still see this conversation and chat history in their inbox.

How to stop receiving messages from someone on YouTube

Deleting a conversation thread won’t stop someone from messaging you on YouTube. Instead, you need to block the person so you no longer see their live chats, comments, mentions, or conversations in chat.

To block someone from sharing videos and messaging in YouTube DMs, you can either:

• Block from your inbox: Open the YouTube app, tap Messages, tap the conversation you want to block, and from the top right corner, tap Menu > Block messages.
• Block from the panel: Long-press on the profile picture of an existing channel you want to block and tap Block messages.

How to never miss a message or video sharing invitation

YouTube DMs require you to send and accept invitations to start direct messaging threads. Invite links are only valid for seven days and will expire if the recipient doesn’t respond or accept. The best way to never miss an invitation is to turn on your YouTube notifications.

To turn on notifications:

1. Open the YouTube app on your mobile device.
2. Tap You.
3. Tap Settings.
4. Tap Notifications.
5. Next to Video sharing and messages, toggle the switch on to enable notifications.

How to contact a creator who has not accepted a message invite

On YouTube, you can only DM creators who have accepted your messaging invitation. There’s no way to force a DM thread to open, but you can still reach most creators through other channels.

The best options for contacting a creator you can’t DM on YouTube include:

• Leave a comment on a recent video: Comments are the simplest way to contact a creator, and they're public. Keep your comment short and specific, and don't share personal details. Bigger channels get a lot of comments, so keep in mind that yours might get buried.
• Check the channel's About tab for a business email: Many creators list an email for collaborations, questions, and press. On YouTube, you'll need to complete a quick verification to reveal it (YouTube wants to make sure you’re not a bot scraping contact info for spam purposes). This is usually the best choice for anything professional.
• Check the channel header and links in a video description: Creators often link to their website, Instagram, X, TikTok, or their Linktree. These other social accounts may be easier to reach than YouTube.
• Join a live chat or premiere: If the creator hosts live streaming, chat is the quickest way to get noticed in real time.
• Reply to a community post: If the creator shares updates on their Community tab, a thoughtful reply can get their attention.

Start with sending an email if you're reaching out about work, and go with comments or social links if you just want to say hi. If you're emailing, keep it short, say who you are in the first line, and make your ask clear.

What YouTube DMs do not offer

YouTube DMs are great for chatting with friends and sharing videos with people you know. But they aren't built for creators who want to reach their community at scale.

Every thread is one-to-one and invite-only. That means a creator can't message everyone who subscribes in one go, and they can't reach someone who hasn't accepted an invite. There's also no way to export a list of the people they've connected with.

If you want to know who's in your audience, you can see who your subscribers are on YouTube, but it only goes so far. To reach your audience directly, you'll need a place to collect contact details you own, like email addresses.

How to reach your audience, beyond YouTube’s DM feature

YouTube DMs are designed for one-to-one chats with people you know. But if you’re ready to reach your audience directly, it’s important to start building a list of contacts you own. With Linktree, you can grow your audience, organize your contacts, and reach them on your terms.